My Sundown
by Bright Auburn Eyes
Summary: Life couldn't be better for Wanda, she is living a life she could have never asked for. So what happens when everything goes horribly wrong? Completely canon, post-Host. Mostly IanxWanda, though some JaredxMel and KylexSunny as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: I do not own The Host or any of these characters. And even more unfortunately Ian does not belong to me.**

My eyes fluttered open to discover that it was not even dawn yet. A light blue glow filled the cave I shared with Ian. He lay beside me now, completely sprawled out all over the bed, while I was scrunched into a ball in a nook between his arm and torso. I was perfectly comfortable, basking in the warmth emanating off his body. My eyes wandered to his face, taking in every handsome, sculpted detail. An incoherent murmur escaped his slightly parted lips.

"What was that sweetie?" I whispered with a giggle.

"Kyle… stop… no…. I don't want any…not the broccoli!..." he muttered through his restless sleep, eventually trailing off until I couldn't make out anymore of what he was saying. I couldn't control myself now, my entire body was shaking with fits of laughter. A small V was beginning to form between Ian's eyebrows as his face frowned at whatever discomfort his dream was causing him. On seeing the rays of golden sunlight peaking through our cave and casting their bright shadows down the wall, I decided it was time to wake him up. I wrapped my pale, freckled arms around his neck, planting a soft kiss on his warm cheek.

"Wake up, sleepy head," I whispered affectionately and then nuzzled my face into his neck. A quiet sigh filled the room and I looked up to see his brilliant blue eyes smiling at me.

"Good morning my Wanderer," he said fondly, as his strong arms snaked around my tiny body, holding me close to him. My heart beat faster under the intensity of his gaze as he pulled me into a sweet, gentle kiss, his lips moving slowly against mine, and then eventually pulling back. I was grinning now.

"Hello there," he chuckled.

"Hi," I giggled in response. And then we were courteously interrupted by my growling stomach.

"Hungry?" he asked, amusement tinting his voice.

"Of course not, I'm fine," I quickly responded, "And you just woke up and don't need to move anywhere yet."

"Hah. Likely story. Let's get you some food." With that he sat up, pulling me with him, and then went to his feet, never setting me down so I was being carried like a baby.

"Hey!" I protested, "I can walk, you don't have to carry me."

"I know," he said with a laugh.

"Then why are you carrying me?" I scolded.

"Oh I have no idea." I recognized sarcasm. "Ever thought that maybe I enjoy holding the most important thing in my life close to me and never want to let go?"  
I looked up, surprised at his sudden fervor, and a little scared he might be mad at me. But there was no hostility as he smiled at me, his sapphire eyes burning with tenderness.

"Oh... well…"I tried to recover, "If you like holding me, that's different, I want you to do whatever makes you happy." Ian simply laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Oh nothing, love. Just how a few seconds ago all you wanted was to be put down, but since I tell you that I enjoy holding you, all of a sudden it doesn't matter. What in the world did I ever do to deserve such a wonderfully selfless person like you? What you want matters too though, and you need to get over it." With that he set me on my feet, lightly kissed my forehead, and encircled his arm around my shoulders. "Now let's go eat."

"Okay, fine." I huffed, not wanting to argue with him about that this morning.

The second we reached the kitchen, a mass of skinny, gangly arms and legs attacked me. That boy was getting older and older every time I saw him.

"Wanda, Wanda, Wanda, guess what?" Jamie crowed excitedly.

"What's up Jamie?" I asked, laughing at his enthusiasm.

"Jared said I could come on the raid with you guys! It's going to be me, you, Mel, Jared, and Ian, of course, doesn't that sound great?" he piped. But I wasn't listening anymore.

"Jared said what?" I whipped around, scanning the room for two familiar figures. I spied them on the other side of the room. Jared watching me with a calculating look on his face, casually sitting and eating breakfast. Mel on the other hand was also watching me, an argument that wasn't directed at me clear on her face. Her body language said it all with her arms crossed sternly over her chest and a scowling expression. She wasn't game for this either. I stomped over to them, dragging Ian and Jamie along with me.

"What do you mean Jamie can come on the next raid with us?" I exclaimed and, without even giving him a chance to respond, continued to say, "We're going to be gone for a month, I don't want to be putting Jamie at that kind of risk. Because of recent issues we're going a lot farther away then normal for a raid and who knows what could happen? There is no reason to be putting Jamie into that kind of danger."

Jared stared at me carefully, a little surprised by my outburst. He looked unsure how to respond until he finally took a deep breath and spoke to both Mel and I.

"Look, I know both of you love Jamie very much and would never want anything to happen to him, but here is the honest truth: Jamie isn't a child anymore. And he has to start being treated like an adult eventually. Besides, I would much rather be able to teach him myself then one day Jamie goes out on a raid and has no idea what he is supposed to do. Then he could end up being caught and putting everyone into jeopardy. That's not what you guys want, is it?"

The reason behind his explanation was inarguably solid. So why didn't I feel any better about this situation? I caught eyes with Mel, and almost as clearly as when she was actually in my head, she answered my question: I was still not sure of this because in my eyes Jamie was always going to be a child. It didn't matter that he was taller then me or didn't share any DNA with my host body, nonetheless my species. He was always going to be my Jamie. Our Jamie. Mel and I were sharing thoughts again.

With a dramatic sigh Mel flopped down on the bench next to Jared as if to surrender. I realized that if she couldn't find any chinks in this argument, I should just give up now. I huffed in defeat as Jamie grinned smugly at Mel and I. Jared smirked at the boy's expression, which only seemed to agitate Mel. I sat down across from them.

I suddenly realized that Ian had disappeared which was extremely out of character. I frantically glanced around the kitchen, looking for that ever so familiar, hulking form. A detached arm appeared from nowhere, setting a bowl of oatmeal in front of me. I jumped in surprise, letting a squeak of fear escape me, and almost fell off the bench. Steady arms caught me right before I hit the floor. I looked up to see Ian with an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry Wanda, didn't mean to scare you. I just want you to eat something," he quickly apologized, setting me upright, and brushing the puffs of golden hair out of my face. Jared was trying his best to conceal his laughter, as was Jamie, and even Mel was smirking now. I rolled my eyes and dug my spoon into the mushy substance. Would I ever fully understand humans?

The day of work was uneventful. After breakfast, Jamie headed off to class, and Mel, Jared, and Ian headed to the fields for the day. I remained in the kitchen with Trudy, cleaning up breakfast and kneading bread. I was grateful for the excuse to escape the kitchen and bring water out to everyone in the fields. The heavy backpack filled with water bottles was almost too much for me to carry, and I had to stop several times along the way to set it down and catch my breath. My lack of physical strength never ceased to frustrate me. After what seemed like forever, I dragged the heavy bag into the field. Ian spotted me immediately and came to my side, taking away the bag without asking, and slipping his free hand into mine.

"I had it fine all by myself," I immediately argued, not liking the fact that Ian had to exert himself even more to make up for my deficiency when he had been working all morning.

"What if I want to be chivalrous to you for once?" He countered with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes, but continued to walk with him to the far side of the field where Jared, Mel, Kyle, and Sunny were waiting. Ian set down the bag and passed out the water. He tried to hand one to me, but I wouldn't take it.

"Na-uh. You guys have been doing all the actual work. I don't need the water." I said stubbornly. Mel snorted a laugh and almost choked on her own water.

"Wanda, why do you even bother? You know that if Ian wants you to drink it, which is what is good for you so you don't get dehydrated so I agree with him, you're going to do it anyway just to make him happy." She said matter-a-factly.

"Well if it would make you happy, Ian.." I mumbled, pressing the bottle to my lips and drinking down the water, but feeling guilty regardless. Ian bent over and kissed me on the top of the head.

"Thank you, love," he whispered into my ear. I blushed automatically.

And then Kyle, being his typical mature self started chanting, "Ian and Wanda sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S— Oww! Ian! What was that for?" I couldn't help laughing as Ian chucked a water bottle right at Kyle's head. It bounced off almost comically. If I hadn't known how resilient Kyle was, I might have worried about him being hurt, but it was Kyle. Which translated to he needed that sometimes, as much as that contradicted every fiber of my being which stood against violence. Everyone was laughing except Sunny who was worriedly petting his head and asking Kyle if he was okay, and this for some reason made the whole scene that much funnier.

All of a sudden Ian jerked his hand out of mine. I stared at him, confused, and about to ask him if he was okay, but I was surprisingly met with a giant grin.

"Ian…?" I inquired.

"I'll be back," was all he said before he jolted out of the room and down tunnel. What was that? I looked around to gauge people's reactions, but was again surprised at their knowing smirks. It hit me that at this moment they knew exactly what was going on, and I was completely in the dark. Even Sunny had a devious smile on her typically sweet face.

"Don't worry about it Wanda," Mel chortled, "We're not going to tell you so just get over it cause you'll find out soon enough anyway." I shook my head in defeat and picked up the bag to head back to the kitchen as everyone else headed back to work. Humans make no sense.

**A/N: So yes, this is the first chapter. I already have a lot of this story planned out, but I would still love to hear what you think. Thanks so much for reading :) I rated it T simply for caution in case something major changes when I'm writing it, but for the most part this story will stay at a K+ level.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't see Ian for the rest of the day. This worried me because it wasn't like him. Except for when chores split us up, we were practically inseparable. I didn't see him at all at lunch. Mel found me dolefully staring at my soup, ripping up pieces of a roll and tossing it into the mix.

"Hey don't be so glum," she chided, coming down to sit with me at my empty table.

"What?" I looked up, torn away from my worried thoughts.

"I promise everything is going to be fine. More then fine. It will be great," she said knowingly. I met her with a confused expression.

"What do you mean..?" I questioned.

"Oh nothing!" she laughed. I exhaled loudly, more confused then before.

"Hey Wanda, hey Mel!" Jamie said cheerfully, sliding onto the bench across from us. I simply nodded in response.

"Heya Jamie, how was class today?" Mel asked casually. Too casually. Jamie made a face.

"Sharon was awful. I don't know what her deal is." Mel chuckled.

"What else is new? But I guess she isn't all that pleased with what's going on today…" she trailed off.

"What's going on?" I asked, doubting I'd get a straight answer.

"Nothing," They both responded too quickly. Mel gave Jamie a pointed look and they both stopped talking. I watched them both completely bewildered. Eventually the silence was filled with mindless banter from Jamie about what he learned today. I wasn't paying much attention until I noticed what was on Mel's plate. There were two different sandwiches. The first, which she was currently eating, had peanut butter and ketchup on it. The second had tuna salad and cheese whiz on it. Was it possible for this day to get even weirder? I think so. Mel absolutely hated mixing food types together. What was going on here?

I took a closer look, examining her to see if anything was different. I couldn't see much of a difference. She had the same, healthy look on her face. Her skin was the same tan shade as usual. She appeared to be acting normal and happy apart from the weirdness of today.

Then I noticed something. There were two very different and out of place things that I may not have recognized if I myself had not lived in that body for an extended period of time. The first were the dark circles under her eyes which shouldn't have existed. Mel normally slept great whenever Jared was around. The second was the slight bulge in her belly. Mel was the last person I knew who was prone to gaining weight, especially on the amount of food that we eat here in the caves. However because I am a soul, I still had no idea what this all meant until I recalled several memories from when I used to share a body with Mel. I let out a small gasp, staring agape at her. She met my expressing begrudgingly, reading my thoughts.

"Hey Jamie, can you go find Jared? He was supposed to be here by now…" Mel lied skillfully.

"Why can't you go get him, I'm eating," Jamie retorted.

"Please?" Mel asked nicely, batting her eyes jokingly.

"Oh fine," Jamie got up with a laugh and left the table to simply Mel and I.

"Mel…" I started hesitantly.

"Yes…?" she said heavily, already knowing what I was about to say.

"Are you pregnant?" I asked quietly so that only she could hear me.

"Yeah…" she confessed, setting down her sandwich, "I'm actually surprised it took you this long to figure out."

"How long have you…?" I inquired.

"Two or three months, give or take. I actually don't know exactly. But around that." She was having a hard time looking me in the eye, still unsure of my reaction to all of this.

"Does Jared know yet?" I wondered aloud.

"I think so. He hasn't said anything yet, but he's smart as anything and I'm sure he's figured it out already. I can't hide anything from him. Or you apparently." I finally caught her eyes, and behind all that fear and uncertainty I saw something else: joy. I broke into a smile.

"I'm really happy for you," I finally stated.

"Really?" A small smile finally beginning to overtake her face as well.

"Yeah. Of course. The only thing I'm worried about is how much the baby will be like its parents. I couldn't imagine anyone more strong-willed then you and Jared, nonetheless the both of you combined," I teased. We both laughed, easing back into comfortable chatter. Jamie eventually rejoined us without Jared. This didn't seem to bother Mel. I had the feeling she knew where he was anyway. Probably with Ian or something. Eventually Jamie skipped off to class.

"Well hey, I have to get back to work soon, Wanda," Mel finally said.

"You probably shouldn't be doing heavy work since you're pregnant. I mean yeah, I don't know that much about the human body, but that still doesn't sound like a good idea," I interjected.

"You're probably right…" she digressed. "Well I'm going to the latrines first and then maybe I'll take a nap or something."

"I'll come with you," I decided, standing up. I wanted to make sure she was actually going to do it.

"Uhm…" she mumbled nervously, "Let's go pee down in the game room."

"What?" I asked in surprise, eyebrows upraised.

"It will be more fun that way," she said with a wink. Okay the hormones were kicking in. I could definitely tell now. But I just agreed and went with it. Mel was the one who was being weird anyway, and it didn't make that much of a difference anyway. So she peed in the dark game room and then I walked her to her room to make sure she lied down.

"Now don't go off and try to work," I warned.

"Hah. I'm not you Wanda. I don't have a strange passion for working like you do. You're too good sometimes, you know that?" She teased off handedly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to you later." And with that I headed back into the kitchen. Mel was going to be exceedingly interesting to handle as the hormones got worse, I was sure.

I didn't see Ian until about half an hour before dinner. I was in the kitchen just taking a batch of rolls out of the oven when I felt a muscular pair of large arms wrap around my waist from behind. I knew who it was in a moment, even before he nuzzled his face into my long hair and kissed me softly on the neck. I giggled, all previous worries and fears completely evaporating in the warmth of his touch.

"Well hello there Ian," I said happily, setting down the rolls and then turning around in the embrace to face him. His dark, jet black hair had flakes of purple volcanic-rock dust in it. The same material coated every inch of his pale skin. His midnight eyes glowed brightly.

"Hello Wanda," Ian said with affection.

"Why are you covered in dust?" I inquired.

"You'll see soon enough," He said, the grin on his face growing impossibly larger. "I think I'm going to go take a bath really fast before dinner. Do you mind waiting up for me to eat?"

"Of course not," I replied.

"Good. Thank you love." With a kiss on the cheek he darted off. I couldn't help but let the tenderness of the moment overtake me. Ian is the kindest, gentlest, most wonderful human I know. Would he ever realize how much like a soul he is? I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I almost didn't even notice Sunny quietly watching me from the other side of the room.

"Oh hey Sunny, what's up?" I asked, finally seeing her there.

"Nothing really." She said simply.

"Where's Kyle at?" I wondered, confused that he wasn't with Sunny, as usual. Then again today was a day filled with the unusual.

"Finishing up something with Jared…" She said deliberately. Sunny was a worse liar then me. I let out a huff, knowing that even if I did grill her for the answer, she wouldn't break. We spent the next few minutes in silence, helping set up for dinner.

"You're really lucky, you know that?" Sunny said out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" I queried, surprised at her forwardness.

"Ian loves you so much. He doesn't love the body you're in, or the person your host used to be. He loves you, Wanderer the soul, the small alien fused in the back of your host's head. Do you know what I would give to have Kyle feel that way about me? I see you and Ian every day, I see the way he looks at you, and all I can see is his unconditional love for you. How does that even happen? Is that supposed to happen? You guys are completely different species. I feel like, at least for me, that can't happen. Yeah Kyle likes keeping me around, but what if all of a sudden Jodi comes back? Then I mean nothing. I'll just be an unwanted parasite and… and…" Sunny was approaching hysteria now, glistening tears welling in her dark eyes.

"Aww Sunny," I said softly, putting down what I was doing and wrapping her in a hug. Sunny broke down, burying her head into my shoulder and sobbed. We stood there for a few minutes as I let her cry it out, until the tears eventually subsided into sniffles.

"I feel like I have no idea how much time I have left." She whispered fearfully. I rubbed her back gently, trying to calm her down. The silence grew.

"Look Sunny," I finally began, "I know exactly how you feel. That's what it was like when I was in Mel's body. For the longest time all I wanted was Jared. I loved him. I still do. No where near in the same way, the way I feel about Ian now is ten times stronger then the way I ever felt about Jared. That's because I fell in love with Ian by myself, not with any influence of a host body. I know that it's hard, but look on the bright side. Right now those aren't decisions you have to be facing. It's true you never know how much time you have, but I look at it that you need to just enjoy the time you're given and don't worry about what hasn't happened yet. What might never happen."

"Easy for you to say…"she mumbled, "Ian is so kind and sweet and loving to you, it's easy to see that you can never doubt that."

"Sunny, that's not true. I feel like everyday shouldn't be happening. How in the world did I end up here in a cave full of another species, and yet have never felt more at home in my life? I know that I can't take any of this for granted. What happens will happen, and you can't control that. Try not to get too worked up about all of this," I finished.

"I guess…" she muttered quietly. I sighed. Human emotions were probably the most temperamental and nonsensical thing I have ever encountered in all my lives. I decided that there wasn't much I could do at this point but to stand and watch the world go by. Hopefully Sunny would realize that too.

**A/N So this chapter was going to be longer, but I didn't want to combine the next part with this. You'll see why :) Thank you to all you lovely people who reviewed. It made my day. You guys are awesome and encourage me to keep writing. **

**Lots of love, Bae (Bright Auburn Eyes) **


	3. Chapter 3

Eventually everyone filed in for dinner. I was just about to go looking for Ian myself when he strode into the kitchen. His dark hair was still dampened and his skin slightly red from cactus soap.

Despite the fact that multiple times I had offered to pick up some soaps for the male population of the cave on raids, every single one of the vehemently refused to succumb to such behavior. Jeb even claimed that he enjoyed the sting of the soap when he bathed because it made him feel more alive or something like that. It didn't make any sense to me, as Jeb never really does anyway. However, any man who wasn't, in Jeb's own words I quote, "a yellow-bellied sissy" wouldn't use any of that processed, nutritious, good smelling soap. And no man wanted Jeb to think he was losing his edge because it resulted in nonstop teasing from all the other guys. Long story short, Ian used cactus soap when he bathed. And I didn't really understand it.

"Hey Ian," I greeted him as he strolled over to me, wrapping his arm around my waist. I moved to pick up two bowls, one for me an the other for Ian.

"Put those down, we don't need them," he said slyly, a smile in his voice. I looked at him questioningly, but set them down.

"Why not?" I retorted. He laughed at my skepticism.

"Come with me, let's eat dinner somewhere else tonight," he said casually, but I could tell he had something else planned.

"Alright.."I simply said, not sure what else to say. I noticed a backpack on Ian's shoulder. Mel gave me a rueful smile from across the room as Ian and I left. I rolled my eyes in her direction. She so obviously knew what was going on right now, I'm sure. I hardly paid any attention to where we were going as Ian asked me about what I did today. I filled him in on the monotonous nothingness that my day had consisted of, as well as my recent encounter with Sunny. However I left out the part about me worrying about him. Ian would take it upon himself to feel guilty for causing me any discomfort and I didn't want him to have to deal with that. Everything was good now, anyway.

I didn't even know where we were until we reached the rooms with the rivers. I gave him a confused look but he simply smiled in return.

I barely even notice the tunnel on the far wall opposite the entrance to the bath and latrine. That tunnel had definitely not been there before. It was easy to tell how new it was from the freshly cut rock that was still jagged and sharp around the entrance, versus the worn and soft walls that came with age and naturally formed tunnels.

"Ian, when did that get there?" I asked accusingly, more then positive that he had something to do with this.

"Today," He shrugged, acting as if it were no big deal and that new tunnels randomly sprouted up out of nowhere everyday. I raised my eyebrows.

"C'mon I'll show you," and with that he slipped his hand into mine and led me down the darkened passageway. The turns and twists were entirely unfamiliar so I stayed close behind Ian, out bodies a mere inches apart. We were only in the dark for about 30 seconds before we emerged into one of the most beautiful places these eyes had ever seen.

What lay before us shouldn't have existed. It contradicted every notion that we were in a cave buried below the earth. Before us stretched a clear, untouched lake. It was about 50 feet in diameter with a shore surrounding the entire thing. I could see the bottom, and it didn't look all that deep. The prettiest part was the reflection of the moon and stars on the surface of the water. Between the cracks and holes in the ceiling there were beautiful snapshots of the bright desert sky, untouched by light pollution. I could barely tell the difference between what was real and what was a reflection. The walls surrounding the lake projected their image onto the water, eventually leading up to the sky. The image and reality mirrored each other perfectly. I was speechless.

"Good or bad?" Ian whispered into my ear.

"Good, definitely good," I said smiling. And with that he took the backpack off.

"How about a picnic?" He asked happily. I watched in utter bewilderment as from his bag he pulled out an old sleeping bag which he spread on the ground next to the water. It was zipped all the way open so that there was a decent sized space to sit on for both of us. He then sat down and pulled me down with him. Then out of his bag he got two thermoses and a bag of Cheetos. I knew exactly what was inside the thermoses.

"Ramen!" I cried in delight, as he passed a thermos to me. He laughed at my reaction. That was another quirk of this new body, Pet had some strange obsession with noodles. Ramen in particular. And ever since, it has quickly become my favorite food. Second only to Cheetos, which I don't think I would ever grow tired of. We both dug into our dinner, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

"When did you find this place?" I asked between bites of food.

"Awhile back actually," he confessed, "Even before you came here in Mel's body. I had just taken a bath and Kyle was teasing me for actually washing my hair. We ended up getting into a small hustle because of it. I would punch him in the arm, he would tackle me to the floor... Something like that." I could tell he was skipping over the vital details so that I wouldn't have to hear about violence. I appreciated his effort. "Long story short, he ran me into this wall and we both fell through it and down a small shaft. About halfway down it we were able to stand up and and walk down to here. It took us awhile to get back up, but we were able to climb back up the shaft and into the room with the rivers. We told Jeb about it, and it's always been a project we've been meaning to get to anyway. But then you showed up and it was completely forgotten. With Jeb constantly keeping you from getting killed, and me trying to kill you.." He said quietly with a grimace, "we never really got around to it. Until today that is. We spent the day just hammering through the entry way, since the rest of the tunnel was already here naturally." He looked up to gauge my reaction. I smiled.

"It's wonderful Ian," I said quietly, setting down my half empty thermos There was no way I could finish the whole thing. I nonchalantly scooped the rest of my noodles into Ian's thermos and he laughed.

"You sure you're not hungry anymore?" he asked halfheartedly, already knowing what my answer was going to be.

"Of course not," I laughed. Ian set down his thermos too and then reached over to pull me onto his lap. He was sitting Indian style with his legs crossed and I was cradled in his lap like a small child would be. Ian then picked up his thermos and wrapped a bite of noodles around his fork.

"Choo-choo," He teased, moving the fork closer to my mouth, "Here comes the Choo-Choo train! Open up, it's going through a tunnel." I giggled but obediently opened my mouth and swallowed the noodles.

"Ian," I protested lightly, still laughing at the fact that he was treating me like a little kid to make me eat more, "I'm really not hungry. If you really are so inclined to do that kind of thing, we should have a baby instead." I didn't even realize what I was saying until it was said. A heated blush spread across my cheeks like a wildfire. I could barely look up to see his face, embarrassed at what he might say at my off-handed suggestion. But when I finally did look up, all I could see was his smoldering, midnight eyes and a toothy grin.

"I would love to, Wanda," he said quietly, tenderness burning in his voice, "But I want to do this the right way. Actually that's why I brought you here tonight."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure at all what he meant by that. In response he set down the fork, reached into his pocket, and pulled out something. I couldn't see what it was. I then felt a small, cold chain around my neck and then Ian fastening it in the back. I looked down to see, on a small, linked, silver chain around my neck, a silver ring, with a bright blue sapphire in the middle of it. The exact same color of Ian's eyes.

"Wanderer, I know this may seem a little silly of me to ask, since you already consider us the truest of partners, but I'm going to ask it anyway, because I am human and this is something I would like. I'm not saying that I don't consider you my partner already, because that would be a lie. But I want you to know, by my own human tradition, that I am always going to be here for you, no matter what, until the day I die. Will you marry me?" he finished, his voice a whisper.

"Of course I will Ian," I responded without hesitation. His lips crashed down on mine. I was long past the point of being shy about kissing Ian anymore, so I tangled my fingers into his dark hair. We made the kiss last for more then a moment, until I finally pulled away.

"Ian, I love you," I said, as it was the truest statement I had ever made in my life.

"I love you too, my Wanderer," He said softly, planting a trail of kisses down my neck. All of a sudden I was overcome with a wave of exhaustion. Ian chuckled, as I'm sure he could tell from my droopy eyes and slap-happy grin. He must have laced those noodles with No Pain or something...

The rest of my thoughts were incoherent jumbles of Ian packing all the stuff up in the bag again and then carrying me back to our cave. The last thing I remembered was Ian setting me down on our mattress and then turning around to walk out the door. A stupid wave of fear struck me that he was leaving and wouldn't come back. It was probably just my extreme fatigue that I was ever that delusional. Or maybe it was premonition for what was soon to happen.

But regardless, I called out, "Ian?" He turned around and walked over to the side of the bed.

"Yes, love?" he asked tenderly.

"Please don't leave. You can put everything away tomorrow. Will you please just stay with me right now?" I asked, hysteria edging into my voice.

"Of course, Wanda," he said, setting down his backpack and crawling onto the mattress with me. He wrapped me in a loving embrace that soothed my nonsensical fears.

"Are you alright love?" he said, concern heavy in his voice.

"Yes..." I said quietly, "I just... I have this silly fear that I'm going to lose you one day. Life is so unpredictable, and you are undoubtedly the best thing in my life. How do I know that fate won't be cruel enough to take that away from me? You really never know how much time you have. I know that more then anyone may." Even in the stronghold of Ian's arms, fear was beginning to overtake me again.

"Shh. Hush now Wanda. I promise you that nothing can tear me away from you. Not even an entire alien race or millions of other planets that you could wander off too. I'm always going to love you, and no matter what happens, I promise on my life that I will come back to you."He ended it with a light kiss on my lips. "Sleep now, love. I promise everything will be alright."

His words worked like medicine through my veins as I automatically relaxed. I snuggled closer to his chest, closed my eyes, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

**A/N Guess whose boyfriend is out of town for spring break? That's right. Mine. So guess who will be most likely writing and updating a ton this week? That's right. Me. Thank you to all those wonderful people who reviewed. You guys are awesome**

**Response to 4-Eva-Bookworm: I had Sunny working in the fields for two reasons. 1, she never wants to leave Kyle and is even more clingy to him then Wanda is to Ian. Kyle isn't overprotective over Sunny the same way Ian is over Wanda, therefore Kyle doesn't mind as much if Sunny is wearing herself out to be around him. It's sad, but I feel like it fits with everything. 2, just because Sunny is petite doesn't necessarily mean she isn't strong or can't work, Wanda just happens to have a body that can't work at all, possibly due to being 17 and the body never having worked a day in its life. Hope that makes sense.**

**Please review and tell me what you all think!**

**Yours truly, Bae**


	4. Chapter 4

The next week passed by in almost a blur, all leading up to us leaving for a raid. The last raid we were on, we ran into seekers two different times. And even though nothing had happened, it had set everyone on edge to the point that we decided at least for this next raid we would head north, getting as far as Washington state. As excited as was to finally be in a comfortable climate, the last thing I wanted was to have to go that far when Jamie was coming along. The risks were limitless in my mind, and maybe I was just being overly concerned because of the unexplainable maternal feelings I had for this alien child, but it sure as hell felt real enough that I couldn't get it off my mind. Ian could tell it was bothering me, as he always could, but he also knew that besides leaving Jamie behind, there was nothing that would end my anxiety. Mel was worrying right along with me. Yes, she did have more faith in Jared to keep Jamie safe, but she still didn't like the idea of Jamie being so far from the caves. None of us liked being that far away in unfamiliar territory. We had no cards up our sleeves if we needed a place to hide. It was simply pure luck and quick thinking. Not that those two things are completely unreliable, but it would have soothed my fears if I at least had some sense of control over this whole scenario. But as usual, I was left alone to my worrying.

Aside from my worrying, everyone in the caves was very excited about Mel's newly announced pregnancy. Even Sharon and Maggie were not untouched by this. They, too, would come and touch her belly, telling her how excited they were to finally have a new little Stryder on the way and how it had only been a matter of time. It didn't matter that the second I saw this, they pointedly walked out of the room, I was just glad they were finally starting to come around to Mel. They were family, and I had absolutely no place to get in the way of that. Of course I say that to Mel, and she reacts the exact same way Ian did when Kyle had almost tried to kill me.

"Yeah they may be family," Mel said, rolling her eyes, "But I promise you that you are much more important to me and much closer to me then they have ever been. The fact that they can't learn to accept you is them choosing not to accept me either. We're a package deal Wanda. Get over it." I laughed at her reference to us as a "package deal". Even though we weren't physically sharing the same body anymore, sometimes it felt like it.

Ian and I had decided to have the "wedding" when we got back from the raid. However I was more then positive that the ceremony that would take place in the caves was very different from anything that had ever occurred in normal human wedding ceremonies. Jeb was to be the official and we were to read each other vows or something like that. The ring Ian had given me had apparently belonged to his mother. When he told me this I immediately insisted that he take it back. I was terrified that I would lose it or something and then that this would make Ian sad. However, Ian insisted that I keep it and wear it. Reluctantly I agreed because I wanted to make him happy, but as a result I constantly was checking my neck for that small silver chain, and then tracing my finger down the small links it to make sure the ring was still intact. This became a habit for me to the point that I didn't even notice anymore.

It was finally the day we were leaving for the raid. I saw Jared take Jamie aside with a very serious look on his face.

"Now Jamie, "Jared began, pulling out a small pill from his pocket, "Do you know what this is?" Jamie eyed it carefully before answering.

"A pill..?" He answered uncertainly, knowing that was not the answer that Jared was looking for.

"Yes, it's a pill," Jared replied bluntly," But do you know what it does?"

Jamie shook his head.

"This is a pill that you need to be ready to swallow the second I tell you to, understand? If things get too close with seekers and I don't think Wanda can get us out of it, then you need to bite down on this pill. Yes, it will kill you very quickly. It's a poison. But if we get captured, it's better for them to have us dead then alive. They get us alive and everyone in the caves could die. There is way too much risk involved. We can't know how long we're able to hold out information like Mel was. Do you understand Jamie? If you don't you're not going anywhere." Jared finished solemnly.

"I understand," Jamie nodded fervently.

"Good," Jared replied, exhaling as if glad to be done with that. I could see why. That was the only thing that ever scared me when we were on raids. The small white pill at the bottom of my pocket. The fact that Jamie now had the capability to end his life in a matter of mere seconds sent a shiver down my spine. My baby. My Jamie.

Ian came up from behind me and grabbed my hand.

"Why are you so cold, love?" Ian asked with concern.

"I'm just worried about Jamie," I said quietly.

"Oh Wanda," He sighed, "Please don't be too distraught. I promise I will help look after him. And you trust Jared, don't you? He knows just what he's doing." I nodded reluctantly.

"Mel shouldn't be coming either. With the baby and all…" I muttered. This had also been a point of argument between Mel and I. Jared hadn't been happy either when Mel had insisted she was coming even with being pregnant.

"Well yes, but if I had it my way, you wouldn't go on a single raid. And I'm sure Mel wouldn't have Jared go on any raids, and Jared wouldn't have Mel go either. We all want to keep each other safe, but with the way the world is, that's not always possible." Ian argued gently. I knew he could see where I was coming from too, and I guess that's what mattered. I decided to leave that argument there for now.

The first few days of the raid were mostly spent sitting in the back of the van, only stopping every once and a while for either gas or food. We weren't planning on getting any food for people back in the caves until we got farther north. When Ian or I were not driving, we spent a lot of time in the back, myself snuggled in his lap, as he told me about his life before the invasion. How he was almost valedictorian in high school. How he got a full paid scholarship to a really great college. How Kyle had always teased him because Ian never really dated a girl seriously. I was actually quite interested in that subject.

"So wait a second, besides me you've never had a 'serious girlfriend'. What defines a girlfriend as serious?" I inquired, not necessarily sure what that meant. Mel laughed quietly since it was nighttime, Jamie's head cradled on her lap as he slept.

"A serious girlfriend means a girl who you've dated for an extended period of time and someone you are actually considering having a real future with." Mel explained.

"Oh… so how many not serious girlfriends did you have?" I asked. From the front seat Jared let out a hearty laugh. Mel was laughing as well. I was out of the loop again. I looked up at Ian, expecting an answer, and his face was tinted red as a blush spread across his cheeks.

"I don't remember…" he mumbled, "A lot to be honest. But they weren't important enough that I remember any of them that well."

"Actually, Wanda," Jared interjected, "I've met a few of them myself when we have been out raiding. Ian and I will be sitting in the back of the truck waiting for you to get back and a random girl walks by, and Ian knows exactly who she was when she was human. I was really surprised because a few of them were actually like good looking and all," Jared teased.

"Okay Howe, we get it," Ian said quietly, looking down to gauge my reaction. I was smiling. I knew all of that meant nothing now; I wasn't going to get upset simply because Ian had had girls in his life before me. What else could I have expected?

"Hey O'Shea, do you remember that one really crazy girl we saw?" Jared asked, laughing at the memory. Even Ian laughed too.

"Yes, Crazy Daisy, how could I forget?"

"You dated a girl called Crazy Daisy?" Mel asked unbelieving.

"Well Daisy, yes. But she was crazy and had a well earned nick name." Ian trailed off.

"The weirdest part was that even as a soul, she was still kind of kooky," Jared remarked, "Like she was walking backwards around the parking lot and talking to no one in particular as she went about her business."

"That's her alright..." Ian laughed.

The conversation slowly died down as I pondered the thought of the effect of a soul's host on the actual soul. I knew that it was more then possible for a soul's entire existence to be altered by their host body. Or else how would I have ended up where I am now? In the back of a truck, slowly working to undermine my species by supporting a handful of rebel humans. I guess there were some things that would never quite make sense to me.

**A/N Sorry this chapter is shorter than I planned and got up way later then I thought it would. I promise the next chapter will be much more exciting, I'm just trying to do a lot of build up before the action really starts, so hang in there everyone :) **

**I can't say this enough, thank you so much to those who review! You really are the best.**

** Do you think Mel and Jared's baby is a girl or a boy? And if you could name it, what would its name be? Tell me your answer in a review on this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

The raid continued to go on as planned. The windowless van would pull inconspicuously into a grocery store parking lot. I would then hop out of the van and go shopping, piling my cart high with food I knew would keep. As always, it felt much too easy. Other souls would pleasantly flash smiles in my direction and sometimes even strike up genuinely friendly conversation as I meandered through the store. I reciprocated the kindness and pleasantries easily, feeling at ease among my own kind. I would then unload my spoils into the back of the van where the four people I loved most in the universe awaited my return.

Despite the simplicity of it all, Ian's attitude was unalterable. Every single time I left the car Ian's face would tighten with worry and his entire body took on a tense posture. Mel told me how he would peer out the window intently, waiting eagerly for my return. Ian wouldn't relax until he could see me walking back safely. He would jump at the smallest of noises. And it was getting worse. The farther we traveled north, the more anxious Ian became. Everyone was beginning to notice it.

One night I finally broke down and asked him about it.

He responded defensively, "You can't expect me not to worry Wanda... I mean look at yourself."

"Hey, what does that mean?" I retorted quickly.

"If something were to happen to you, what would you do? Your body isn't strong enough to fight anyone off," he said matter of factly.

"Fight anyone off? Ian, don't be silly. Fight isn't a word souls understand," I said softly, trying to placate the worry burning through his midnight eyes. I traced my hand wordlessly along his face, allowing my palm to warmly cup his cheek. His hand wrapped around mine, holding my hand to his face as I caressed it gently.

"But what if it's something else? What if you run into a human who doesn't have any idea who you are?" Ian whispered worriedly.

"Ian the chances of that happening are impossibly small. No lone human in their right mind would walk into a grocery store full of souls in the middle of the day. You're being ridiculous," I said gently. He was silent for a few minutes, his eyes fixed on the ground.

I placed my other hand on his face so that it was being held between them and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Ian, what's wrong? You've been on raids with me before and you have never acted this way. Sure, you've been worried but not to the extent you are now. What are you thinking?" I said softly.

"I don't know..." he trailed, "... I am just not getting a good feeling about this raid. Every time you leave, I'm terrified you won't come back, terrified that I am going to lose you. I know it is entirely ridiculous, but for some reason I feel like there is something I should be worried about... I just don't know what yet."

"Ian O'Shea," I said confidently, drawing his attention with the use of his full name, "I am not going anywhere. Even if something were to happen, I would do everything in the world to come back to you. I promise." To this Ian responded with a heavy sigh and simply pulled me closer to him. That was the end of that conversation.

The trip continued to be uneventful despite Ian's relentless worrying. Today in particular was a cool, cloudy day. As I took a deep breath I noticed how alive the cool air made me feel. I slipped on a thick coat as I stepped out of the car and walked into the store, business as usual. I grabbed a cart and I was off. My body stepped into a pattern of walking easily through the aisles and getting what we needed.

I got to a particular row where all the canned goods were and spotted exactly what I was looking for: soup. A big flat of canned soup sat on the top shelf, only slightly out of my reach. I feebly attempted to lift up my arms to grab the flat, part of me already knowing that it would be a wasted effort. Even if I had been able to reach the flat, I would be in danger of dropping it on my head when the flat was so precariously located.

"Can I help you with that?" an unfamiliar voice asked sweetly. I turned around, smile already in place to greet the soul who had offered to assist me.

"That would be great, thanks!" I said pleasantly. The face the unfamiliar voice belonged to was striking. He had harsh, defined features with dark, pointed eyebrows and a mess of dark brown hair on his head. His skin seemed unnaturally pale. His eyes were a piercing black color, the glimmer of a soul shimmering faintly beneath the darkness. He easily grabbed the flat of soup and loaded it into my shopping cart.

"No problem," he said in return, a goofy smile spread across his face. A look of concern flitted across his face as he met my eyes. I noticed a spark of recognition as he timidly asked,"Do I... know you?"

A cold fear crept through my mind. Did this strange soul know who I was? Or more accurately, did he recognize Pet's body? He did not stir any of Pet's old memories which I still retained. Aside from his dramatic features that were unlike many others I had met, there was nothing significant about this stranger. There was, however, something odd about him. It wasn't anything necessarily bad, he was just as pleasant and caring as any other soul I had met along this trip. It wasn't necessarily human either. It was something... other. Something about the way his smile stretched across his entire face. There was some sort of spark in his eyes... something vibrant and wild that I couldn't quite place my finger on. This was a moment I wish Mel was still here in my head, here able to see what I see and tell me what she thought about this unusual man.

"I...I'm afraid not," I stuttered, trying to pass of my fear as confusion. I added a small smile on the end of my sentence.

"I'm Matthew," he said with his too wide smile, offering his hand out. I took it and shook slowly.

"I'm Crystal Spires," I said quietly, giving him a generic name from the bears.

"It's nice to meet you," he said warmly. Much too warmly. He nodded to nothing in particular, a slight crease in his eyebrows almost as if he didn't believe me. I fought the urge to back away from him, a feeling of discomfort filling my mind. I simply nodded and let my body language do the rest of the talking, positioning myself to walk away, sending him one more half smile. He picked up on the cue and continued on his way. I let out a small sigh of relief that he hadn't pressed me for conversation.

I returned to the van and tried to remain as casual as possible. I didn't want to give Ian any reason to be worrying about me, as it probably was nothing.

"Hey guys," I said happily, plastering a smile on my face as I opened up the back of the van that was parked in the farthest corner of the lot. I tried to avoid eye contact, knowing that would give me away almost instantly if either Mel or Ian saw.

"Hey Wanda, did you bring back anything good?" Jamie asked excitedly. I absentmindedly tossed him a bag of M&Ms.

"Thanks Wanda, you're the best!" he said, catching the bag in midair. I also passed around sandwiches I had picked up for lunch.

I thought I was doing pretty well, answering the usual questions of how the shopping was and what food I picked up. It wasn't until we were a few miles away from the grocery store that I dared look up to read the expressions around me. Jared was driving the van, not at all looking in my direction. Jamie was chattering along, not noticing that anything was amiss. Ian and Mel, on the other hand, had noticed despite my efforts. Mel work a half smirk, probably laughing at my attempt to conceal my thoughts from her, but concern colored her eyes. Ian was nothing but worried, his eyes tight. I finally scooted next to him as he pulled me into his lap.

"Wanda, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" he whispered gently into my ear, his hand reaching up to gently stroke my hair.

"I'm fine Ian," I said flatly, trying to hide the lie and failing miserably. Ian chuckled.

"I don't believe that for a second, honey," he replied sweetly, nothing but concern coloring his voice. It was this naked, honest care that convinced me to break down and tell him. I couldn't really hide anything from Ian. I knew that. It came out in a jumble of words, as I quickly explained my encounter with the odd soul that had made me feel so uncomfortable. The entire car fell silent, listening to my story.

"Do you think he was a seeker?" Jared finally asked from the front when I had finished. Straightforward, down to business. That's just how Jared was.

"No, no. I don't think so," I said quickly, "He wasn't nearly... pushy enough for that. He was just trying to be helpful. He just struck me as... strange."

"Are you sure you have no idea who he is?" Mel questioned.

"None at all. I mean I can try looking, but as far as I know he didn't stir any of Pet's memories..." I trailed off.

My words hung heavily in the car. No one was comfortable over the fact that someone may have recognized me. The last thing we needed were Seekers going out and looking for Pet, especially so long after she had been missing.

The day passed on. We decided against staying at a hotel that night. Jared decided we would put some distance between us and the soul, just in case Matthew was a serious threat. We stopped at a gas station and I switched into the drivers seat, ready to drive the next portion of the trip. Ian took shotgun to keep me company, while Mel, Jamie, and Jared slept soundly in the back.

The night was quiet. The sky was a purple, violet color: the color before a rainstorm. Excitement welled in my chest. I loved the rain. Or more appropriately, this host loved the rain and I couldn't help but agree. I loved watching fat drops of water fall from the sky and soak into the earth. Unlike home, the rain here didn't disappear into the dry, thirsty ground never to appear again. Here the rain seemed to feed the vibrant life around us. Great, big trees with large, green foliage became more common the farther north we drove.

Ian held my hand sweetly as we watched the world pass by. There were no other cars on the road besides us. The pavement moved quickly beneath the wheels of the van. We fell into easy conversation. Ian told me about life before the invasion. I loved hearing his stories; his voice always took on a dreamy quality and he would gaze into the distance, lost in another time. His thumb softly stroking my hand was the only sign that gave away that he was still present in the car.

"... and then there was this one time when Kyle got up into the rafters of the gymnasium during a school assembly and dropped a whole bucket of frogs intended for dissection in the middle of the room. You should have seen Mrs. Brown's face when one landed right on her chest and fell down her shirt," Ian paused to catch his breath because he was laughing so hard.

I lifted hand to wipe away the tears streaming down my face, unable to stop the laughter shaking my entire body while fighting to stay quiet and not wake the sleeping passengers in the back. Finally the laughing subsided. I looked over at Ian to see his handsome smile and brilliant eyes looking fondly at me.

Out of my peripheral vision a light caught my eye. I glanced over to see a car fast approaching us. The car had its brights on, shining a harsh light across the road. This was unusual, as I was going right at the speed limit and souls generally followed the rules. Unless it was a seeker. Cold fear leaked into my veins.

"Ian.." I murmured worriedly. He instantly caught on but a minute too late.

The car was zipping past us, passing us on the two lane highway. The bright headlights reflected off the rear view mirror and into both mine and Ian's eyes. My eyes reflected brightly, casting their glow before me. Ian's eyes were merely blinded by the light, without any sort of reflection as only human eyes could be.

I looked over to the soul who was driving the vehicle to see that dreadful, maniacal grin staring back at me. I locked eyes with Matthew and felt my heart shattering into millions of tiny pieces.

**A/N** _So I'm back. It's pretty exciting. As always I would love to hear your thoughts. - Bae_


	6. Chapter 6

I couldn't breathe. Air came through my lips in short, panicked gasps. My chest felt as if it was caving in on itself.

"Ian, I think he saw your eyes," I said quietly, hysteria edging its way into my voice; the only thing I could think about was that small, deadly pill sitting at the bottom of his pocket.

Then, without warning, Matthew continued to drive. The bright lights of his sedan sprinted off into the distance almost as quickly as they appeared.

"Wanda," Ian started, his voice surprisingly calm, "I need you to pull over, honey." I only noticed how terribly my hands were trembling with his strong, steady hands next to them. I gently pulled over and put the car in park. Ian and I switched places.

"Okay love, I need you to go wake up Melanie and Jared. I know what he's probably going to say, but we should talk this over with them. I'm going to turn the van around," Ian said in a soft, composed tone. I could only weakly nod, crawling into the back.

I moved quietly, trying not to wake Jamie. Melanie lay cuddled against Jared, both of them fast asleep. Jared's face was completely relaxed but for a small smile that lazily turned up at the corner of his mouth. The remnants of my past life in Melanie's body stirred within me, and I felt a weak pang of longing to be the one Jared held close. To feel he strong, sun kissed arms wrap their way around my waist. My body rejected the thought as soon as it had entered my mind. This host belonged to Ian. I belonged to Ian. Nothing could change that.

"Mel," I said quietly, gently patting her hand, "Mel, wake up. Something happened."

"What...?" She said groggily, her eyes fluttering open.

"We ran into some trouble," I whispered as Melanie started to sit up. Jared stirred besides her.

"What trouble?" Jared said without missing a beat. He was strangely alert for just waking up.

"The soul from earlier today... we were driving and he came up from behind us. He had his brights on and the lights reflected in the mirror. I think he saw Ian's eyes. Then he locked eyes with me and kept driving as if nothing was amiss... but I know he saw Ian. I don't understand. He didn't even look scared at seeing a human.. or surprised.. he just kept going..." I finally finished. Melanie and Jared were now awake, their complete attention taking in what I had just said.

"We need to get off this highway. Find an entirely different route. I don't like this, not one bit. He's got to be a seeker. Nothing else could explain what happened." Jared said quickly.

"Already got that covered, Howe," Ian responded from the front. Jared gave Mel one more gently squeeze before disentangling his arms and climbing to the passenger seat to discuss the route with Ian. The talked in hushed tones and I could barely hear what they were saying.

"Wanda you need to calm down," Mel finally said.

"I don't like this Mel... that soul isn't like other souls. He doesn't strike me as a Seeker at all..." I thought out loud.

"It's nothing we can't handle," Mel bounced back, "Jared knows what he's doing and Ian is the most careful person I know. We just lay low for a few days and everything is going to be okay." With that Mel pulled me into a hug and patted my hair soothingly. I just tried to focus on breathing.

The next few days were nerve wracking. We had been heading north east towards Montana and planned on working through a series of smaller towns there. Jared decided it was best to completely switch gears and head straight west from where we were after going back to get the moving truck. It was about 2 or 3 days before we stopped at another store somewhere in Oregon.

I was jumpier now in the stores, trying as hard as possible to avoid unnecessary conversation. Matthew was fresh on my mind. At night when I tried to fall asleep I would see his strange, frightening smile behind my eyes. I knew that I shouldn't be afraid of him. He was a soul; as a general rule souls were caring, gentle beings. But there was something that wasn't really right about him.

Things were finally getting back to normal, or at least as normal as life was when we were on a raid. It was a week and a half later when normal ceased to exist.

I pulled the car into the mall parking lot. Today I was going to pick up extra clothes from the department store. Ian, Jamie, Melanie, and Jared were all hiding out in the back seat, as usual. I hopped out of the car and started walking across the lot. I started as an old fashioned police car from human times stopped in front of me. Seekers.

The man driving the car smiled warmly and gestured for me to cross the street. I did my best to smile back and went along my way. My small heart beat more quickly. I didn't like how close the seekers were to the vehicle. I glanced back at the van nervously. No, I didn't need to go back. The seekers were just driving by. It's not like Mel, Jared, Jamie or Ian was planning on going anywhere, The seekers had absolutely no reason to be suspicious of the van.

I entered the store and brushed by the many mannequins and displays that called for my attention. I grabbed a small cart and started to find clothes that were both generic enough that anyone could wear them but also attractive enough that someone might actually want to wear them. I was right in the middle of men's section picking up extra t-shirts when that unforgettable voice reached my ears.

"Hello Crystal... or should I say Pet," he said smoothly. I whirled around in surprise, frozen in my tracks. He let out a short, bitter laugh. This wasn't right. Never had I ever seen a soul behave so... human. His emotions contained undertones of anger that I could not understand.

"Now don't look at me like that, darling. We're old friends, now don't you remember?" he said coyly, his dark eyes shining shamelessly. It was the onyx eyes paired with that ridiculous grin staring so intently upon me that finally tripped my memory. Or should I say memories. There were dozens of them. Memories of a small boy who had never quite fit in with the other souls, a boy with a striking face and relentless eyes.

"_Pet, Pet look! Look what I got!" the small boy cried excitedly. I turned around to see what all the fuss was about. The sunshine was glimmering through the green park. I stood next to a colorful playground where all the other children played. _

I realized this was a memory from Pet's childhood. The memory was so old and long ago to this host that the details were difficult to see, the memory almost seemed fuzzy around the edges. Pet was very young, maybe only 5 or 6 Earth years old. The memory pulled me back in.

"_What, Matthew?" I said hesitantly._

"_I found an earthworm!" he showed proudly, holding up the wrinkled, squirming critter._

"_It doesn't look very happy..." I said gently, "Maybe you should put it back..."_

"_No, it's mine," he said defensively, wrath creeping into his voice. I was taken aback at the intensity of his emotions. Matthew wasn't being very nice. Even in a host so young, acting like that wasn't excusable. _

"_Well alright then..." I trailed off, not quite sure what to do. I didn't like his anger. It scared me. I moved to turn around._

"_HEY! Where are you going?!" he yelled._

"_To that bench over there. You can join me if you want," I replied, even though I wasn't sure if I actually wanted him there. Matthew was acting strange. _

"_I don't want to. You stay here," he demanded, still holding the worm. My eyes widened in surprise at the emotion in his tone but I stayed put. _

"_You're squishing the worm..." I noted worriedly, "You shouldn't hold it so tight"_

"_What, like this?" he taunted, holding the worm up to eye level and squeezing it between his grubby hands. Without warning the worm broke into two and stopped moving. Satisfaction glinted in his black eyes as he watched me react. _

_My mouth fell open in shock, tears stinging my eyes, and a wave of sadness swept over me. Why did he do that? He killed that poor, little worm. I turned around and started stumbling towards to teacher._

"_That's just life, Pet," he called out as I ran the other direction. _

"... Matthew?" I finally gasped, being pulled out of the memory. Even now, this host reacted strongly to the memory. It was so vivid and cruel and unlike anything else these eyes had seen up to that point, Pet had been horrified that a soul could act like that. And with good reason. I could not make sense of the behavior.

"That's right, Pet. My, it has been awhile," he cooed, "You disappeared from me for so long..." His hand reached out to touch my face. I instinctively took a step back.

"You vanished all those years ago," I said matter of factly, pulling from the recently recalled memories that had finally connected childhood Matthew to this frightening soul before me. Pet had no memories of this man.

"Sure, I vanished. Everyone was so worried about me, they thought that this host was defective. They wanted to get me away from all the other souls whose hosts were still children. So I told them what they wanted to hear, anything to get all the Comforters and Teachers to let me go. You may not have seen me, Pet, but I saw you. That is, until you disappeared a few months ago. Your mother was so worried..." he said, gauging my reaction.

Cloud Spinner. A pang of sadness hit my body, missing the mother I had never known. The sadness mixed in with the absolute confusion of what was happening. None of this made sense.

"You... you lied to the Comforters and Teachers...?" I choked out, changing the subject.

"Of course I did, silly," he said playfully, "What's wrong with that? Anything to get back to you." This was not okay. Souls did not lie. The glimmer in Matthew's eyes that were so fixated on me contradicted everything about how he acted. There was something seriously wrong with this dark character from Pet's past.

"Now what I want to know is who your little friend is," he said dangerously, taking a step closer to me. I froze in terror as he lifted his hand to cup my face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I whispered flatly.

"Oh don't play this game with me Pet... You knew you couldn't hide from me forever. I want to know how you found that human," he taunted.

A cold, crushing vice seemed to be closing around my heart. He had seen Ian. I took a small step back. Anything to get away from this inexplicable monster.

"Now where do you think you're going, darling? Hmm? I've already called Cloud Spinner and told her everything. And the seekers too. I told them about your human..." He drawled, a cruel smile twisted on his lips. The world around me felt like it was crashing down. No. It couldn't be.

"You know I won't let you leave me," he said viciously. Then his hand slipped down to my shoulder and grasped tightly around my upper arm. Adrenaline shot through my body.

Matthew may have been a soul, but no amount of logic could reconcile the way he was acting. This soul went against everything I knew, a living contradiction. In that moment I realized that even if he was a soul, that didn't make him safe. There was something very wrong with him. It was fight or flight the second his hand grabbed me. Matthew was threatening the thing I loved most and I was going to fight back.

In a split second I jerked my knee forward to kick the cart I had been pushing. It moved between Matthew and I. I didn't kick it hard enough to hurt him, just enough to catch him by surprise. It was just that half second of surprise I needed to yank my arm away from his grasp and take off running. I just didn't know where.

Then it hit me. The Seekers in the parking lot. Soul or not, Matthew had made a move against another Soul. That was not the nature of my species. The Seekers would be on my side if they saw how Matthew was behaving. Something was wrong with him. That much I knew. The Seekers could help me.

I headed right to the door I had come from. His heavy footsteps sounded behind me. I pushed myself to run faster, knowing that I could only go like this for so long. Pet had never been a runner like Melanie. I knew I couldn't outrun him, I just needed to find help before he found me.

I burst outside through the doors and saw the Seekers' car parked all the way on the other side of the parking lot. It was too far. I couldn't make it.

"Help!" I cried in a panic, running towards the Seekers anyway. They were my only chance of getting rid of Matthew without dragging the humans I loved into this. I had to protect Ian and Jamie and Mel and Jared. I never thought this day would come. I locked eyes with the male seeker who sat in the driver's seat. Concerned flashed in his eyes and he moved to get out of the car.

All of a sudden something large flew into my legs and I toppled over. My hands instinctively reached out to catch my fall. I felt a sharp sting in my palms as they hit the asphalt. Matthew had thrown himself at me and was now wrapped around my legs.

"WANDA!" cried a heartbreakingly familiar voice followed by heavy footsteps. No. NO. Not now. What was he doing?!

I tried to crawl away but Matthew completely overpowered me. He climbed up quickly and pinned me down. I couldn't breathe underneath his weight on top of me. I struggled to get up but his large hand clapped over my face and smashed my head into the ground. A burst of pain consumed my mind and a mangled cry of distress escaped my lips. I felt warm liquid spewing from my head and soaking into my hair. Blood. All of a sudden the weight was removed and I gasped wildly, allowing oxygen into my burning lungs.

"Get AWAY from her!" he roared furiously. I twisted my head to see him throwing a heavy fist at Matthew who consequently doubled over. I heard two more sets of footsteps rushing towards us. I moved to get up, my head spinning as I fought to get to my feet.

"Behind you!" I cried hysterically. The devastatingly handsome man spun around to see the seekers fast approaching, bright headlights shining in front of them. The setting sun made it clear that there were only two reflections bouncing back for the three people present. Ian looked to me and reached into his pocket. Tears were streaking down his face.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. I'm so, so sorry. I love you so much," He sobbed and then lifted his hand to his mouth, his brilliant, reflectionless sapphire eyes filled with despair.

"NO!" I cried. Then two things happened at once. I heavy thump resounded off my skull and my head exploded. I saw stars and everything sounded like it was at the end of a tunnel. I felt myself falling and hit the ground. Everything hurt. It was immediately followed by a loud, sharp crack that seemed to tear the sky itself apart. My eyes darted up to see Matthew standing above me, his hellish eyes blazing victoriously.

In my last seconds of consciousness I watched the man I love crumple to the ground. In the background I heard the voices of the seekers.

"Put your hands up!" one of the men commanded.

"Ian, no! NO!" I sobbed. Then everything faded into black as I slipped out of consciousness**_._**


End file.
